With the breakout release of AB III (thanks in part to stellar single ‘Isolation’), combined with Myles Kennedy‘s adventures with Slash and Mark Tremonti’s solo album All I Was, Alter Bridge had finally removed the monkey from their back and stepped out of the shadow of Creed. Fast forward to today, and Alter Bridge have regrouped and released a stellar new album, Fortress (Roadrunner). Onto their fourth album, everything about AB has been given an upgrade. The songs are a little tighter, the vocals a little bit more impassioned, and the riffs heavier. The musical core of the band is still the same, they’ve just upped the ante.
Opener ‘Cry of Achilles‘ begins with classical acoustic guitar before kicking in with a huge riff, soaring vocals, and at almost seven minutes, even features some progressive tendencies. It’s a big, bold statement to open with, and the standard remains as high throughout.
Lead single ‘Addicted To Pain’ is heavy and hook laden, a good example of what to expect from the rest of Fortress; searing riffs, soaring vocals, furious, energetic and stadium filling. The band, Myles Kennedy (vocals & guitar), Mark Tremonti (guitar & vocals), Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) have been together for almost a decade, a testament to the fact stable lineups mean better records as you progress together.
Take ‘Bleed It Dry’. Opening with some big aggressive snappy riffs before switching tac and letting Myle’s take over, only to be interrupted by a dreamy acoustic middle complete with classic blues rock solo, and a finale of more huge riffs and grand choruses. Name any song on the album and the same words come to mind; big, heavy, soaring, epic.
Myles has always been a talented singer, but his forays into the mainstream with Slash have only made his contributions to AB better. His contribution to Fortress is impeccable; the impassioned vocals show off an incredible range and steal the limelight throughout the album. For a brief moment, Myles stands aside and Tremonti takes lead vocals for one song – ‘Waters Rising’. He makes a decent effort, but it’s his guitar work that matters most on this record. Huge stadium filling riffs, big classic solos, with plenty of little acoustic flourishes and other deft touches that litter the record. Aside from the impressive guitar interplay, it’s the heaviness of the record that’s most surprising. Often you’re left wondering how far into the realm of heavy riffing he could go – Alter Bridge as a modern metal band isn’t as unthinkable as it once was.
AB have been getting better with every release, and Fortress is probably their most compete and consistent effort yet. People who don’t like the vocals of Myles Kennedy or refuse to give them the time of day due to the Creed links won’t be converted, but fans will love this and neutrals could do a lot worse than pick up it up Contender for hard rock album of the year.
9/10